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“There are some great houses in Birmingham,” says Poris. “This one had had been split into two homes during the Depression and there were still remnants of that—two stairs, some of the rooms were chopped up… Many houses like this would be knocked down and replaced, but the client wanted to bring it back to life."

Pyatt's office is the sparest room in the house, with the straw panels "left raw to give a sense of the monolithic nature of those walls," according to Pyatt.

Inspiration crowds Alexander’s studio desk.

In a space measuring just 650 square feet, multifunctionality is key.

The three-by-12-inch porcelain pieces are inspired by the industrial wood floors of the 1970s, but are of the moment thanks to their subtle grain pattern and versatile applications.

Sunken double height office

A bespoke backyard studio in London was built with prefabricated plywood panels to create a cozy and cost-effective interior.

The serene home office of Taula House by M Gooden Design gazes out onto the backyard.

A look at the office workstations and conference room designed by Studio Zerbey Architecture & Design.

Much of the original detail throughout the house was retained and refurbished, such as the barrel-vaulted ceilings, metal railing, and woodwork in the front hall.

In the living room, a new faceted, blackened-steel fireplace surround is juxtaposed with leaded glass windows. "The existing portions of the house offer more formal and internal spaces for cozy entertaining and lounging," says Chadbourne.

The French Norman–style home was built in 1927 and sits on over half an acre in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. The architects preserved much of its original detail in a 2018 remodel.

Existing windows were replaced with Loewen wood-clad units. The team also sanded and lightened the cedar paneling. "We liked that original tone of the cedar and just lightened it up to look more modern and airy," says Wittman.